Navigating the Legal Industry: My Experience in Solicitor Apprenticeship and Work Opportunities

So I’m in the third year of my solicitor apprenticeship. I had work experience. I went and shadowed my sister for a bit in National Grid. I didn’t get anything in the way of formal legal work experience. I think there’s an understanding that it’s not possible for everybody to get formal legal work experience, but that’s because you don’t have connections to the industry yet or you’re not able to travel away from your hometown. If you say, don’t live in a big city where there are the bigger law firms who put on formal work experience, I would say, in my experience, I’ve definitely not found it to be a hindrance. I think there’s an appreciation that you can show that you’re committed and interested in a massive range of ways, and it doesn’t always have to be a formal program.